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Our Genealogy Helper

Introduction ...

We have a couple of goals for our Gazetteer:

  • That it be a tool which helps us with planning our trips.
  • We're trying to shape our Gazetteer as a tool to help us understand the community in which our ancestors lived, the community that was part of their daily lives.
  • On our trips, we try to visit those places where our ancestors left their footprints.

By learning about Delray (and the surrounding area) during the time that our ancestors lived, we hope to have a better understanding of both their community and its relationship to their lifes. We hope that this tool helps to give us an insight into their world.

As we add data and organize our Gazetteer to help with our family research, we will be adding to this our Genealogical Helper for Delray. While we don't have information that is specific to any given person or family, we intend to expand our understanding about where and how people lived.

Neighboring Counties ...

When searching for family records, we have frequently made the mistake of not checking the neighboring counties.

For example, we have great-grandparents who lived in the northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors were in the next county to the east. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the north.

So when searching for records, we had our best success by looking in neighboring counties instead of the county in which they lived:  their home county contained property and probate records; the county to the east contained birth and death records; the county to the north contained their burial records. If we hadn't included the neighboring counties, we would have missed many valuable sources of information.

If you're in a similar situation, we hope that the following information helps.

Delray is located in Wayne County.

To see how the shape of Michigan's counties may have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Wayne County: Macomb, Monroe, Oakland & Washtenaw.

Below are the counties that are near Delray. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Delray:

  • Wayne County     (The home county of Delray)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Delray, with the one closest to Delray listed first.
    • Springwells
      (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
      • Springwells is located in Wayne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Springwells
      • Former name for Springwells:
      • Fordson
    • River Rouge
      (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Dearborn
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Melvindale
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Detroit
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Ecorse
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Lincoln Park
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Wyandotte
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Allen Park
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Highland Park
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • Highland Park is located in Wayne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highland Park
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 10,712 people
    • Hamtramck
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Southgate
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Dearborn Heights
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
  • Macomb County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Delray, with the one closest to Delray listed first.
    • Dalton Corners ‑ Historic
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Dalton Corners is located in Macomb County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dalton Corners
    • Van Dyke ‑ Historic
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Van Dyke is located in Macomb County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Van Dyke
    • Center Line
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Warren
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Warren is located in Macomb County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Warren
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 132,877 people
      • Warren has also been known as:
      • Cottageville
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Warren <1>
    • Eastpointe
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Eastpointe is located in Macomb County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eastpointe
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 31,720 people
      • Former names for Eastpointe:
      • East Detroit
      • Half-Way
      • Halfway
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Eastpointe <1>
    • Roseville
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Spinnings ‑ Historic
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Spinnings is located in Macomb County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spinnings
      • Spinnings has also been known as:
      • Spinning
    • Eagle Poine ‑ Historic
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Eagle Poine is located in Macomb County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eagle Poine
    • Saint Clair Shores
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Fraser
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Cady ‑ Historic
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Cady is located in Macomb County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cady
      • Cady has also been known as:
      • Cady's Corner
    • Plumb Brook ‑ Historic
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Plumb Brook is located in Macomb County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plumb Brook
      • Plumb Brook has also been known as:
      • Plum Brook
      • Plumbrook Village
      • Plumbrook
    • Quinn ‑ Historic
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Quinn is located in Macomb County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quinn
  • Monroe County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Delray, with the one closest to Delray listed first.
    • Flat Rock
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • South Rockwood
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Carleton
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Estral Beach
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Estral Beach is located in Monroe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Estral Beach
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 396 people
    • Grafton ‑ Historic
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Grafton is located in Monroe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grafton
    • Newport
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Stony Point
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Stony Point is located in Monroe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stony Point
    • Steiner
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Steiner is located in Monroe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Steiner
    • Woodland Beach
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Woodland Beach is located in Monroe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodland Beach
    • Scofield
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Scofield is located in Monroe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scofield
    • Detroit Beach
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Detroit Beach is located in Monroe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Detroit Beach
    • Oakville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Oakville is located in Monroe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakville
    • Maybee
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Oakland County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Delray, with the one closest to Delray listed first.
    • Ferndale
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Hazel Park
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Oak Park
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Pleasant Ridge
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Huntington Woods
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Madison Heights
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Royal Oak
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Southfield
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Berkley
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Lathrup Village
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Clarenceville
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Clarenceville is located in Oakland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clarenceville
    • Clawson
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Beverly Hills
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Washtenaw County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Delray, with the one closest to Delray listed first.
    • Rawsonville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Rawsonville is located in Washtenaw County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rawsonville
    • Willis
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Salem
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Salem is located in Washtenaw County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salem
    • Ypsilanti
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Whittaker
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Whittaker is located in Washtenaw County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whittaker
    • Dixboro
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Dixboro is located in Washtenaw County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dixboro
    • Emery
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Emery is located in Washtenaw County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emery
    • Stony Creek
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Stony Creek is located in Washtenaw County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stony Creek

For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Delray, see our County-by-County Page for Delray.

Cemeteries Near Delray ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Delray.

This is a new section and is likely to have errors. If you find an error, such as a missing cemetery or we have the wrong name, please let us know. If you know of them, we would also appreciate learning about previous or alternate names.

Although we don't have the information ourselves, if you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our list of websites on our Genealogy Helper Page for Delray - one of the links might be able to help.

If not found below, our Cemetery List for Delray covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Delray, with the one closest to Delray listed first.

Nearby Communities in 1895 ...

We've built the following list with information that came from an Atlas published by Rand McNally in 1895. The Atlas had details such as the population of the community (which appears to have come from the 1890 Census) and whether there was a post office and/or railroad service available. We also indicate if the community no longer exists and is now historic.<3>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Delray had a population of 708 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service.

These communities are listed based on their distance from Delray, with the one closest to Delray listed first.

  • River Rouge
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
  • Dearborn
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Ecorse
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Detroit
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Wyandotte
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Highland Park
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Highland Park is located in Wayne County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highland Park
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 10,712 people
  • Taylor Center
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Taylor Center is located in Wayne County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Taylor Center
  • Oak
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Oak is located in Wayne County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak
  • Sibley
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Sibley is located in Wayne County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sibley
  • Inkster
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
  • Sunnyside
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Sunnyside is located in Wayne County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunnyside
  • Redford
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Beech
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Beech is located in Wayne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beech
    • Trenton
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Grosse Ile
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)

We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Delray. See our List of 1890's Communities around Delray.

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Delray ...

An ongoing effort between the Library of Congress and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) has resulted in the National Digital Newspaper Program (NDNP).

To share their results, the partnership has created the Chronicling America website. The goal of this partnership is to assemble a database about the current and historic newspapers of the United States. This includes a growing collection of scanned images from selected papers. All of it available to the public on their website.

Using information that we've taken from the Chronicling America website, we've identified 580 newspapers that have been published in the area around Delray.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Delray. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Delray and those printed in the larger area surrounding Delray.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 19 miles [30.6 km]<4> of Delray.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we start with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These helpful websites offer the information directly or else point to where you can find it. Their information is open to everyone.

To help you get started, the following links will take you to the pages that are relevant to Delray:

Footnotes ...

<1>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<2>The Find-a-Grave website is an excellent research tool with information about a cemetery's location and interments. They also offer a forum for their members which can provide additional help. More information about Find-a-Grave can be found on their website: findagrave.com.
<3>We use the term 'Historic' broadly and it generally means that the community no longer exists. However, it can also mean that the community might still exist, but was significantly larger or had a more 'official' existence in the past than it does now. Unfortunately our sources of data have proven to be unreliable. If you can provide us with more specific information about Delray, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<4>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Delray) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.